Lunch With Kate

As most of you know by now Kate Duffy, romance icon and Editorial Director of Kensington Publishing, passed away over the weekend. I had a planned a long detailed blog regaling when I was luckily enough to spend quality time with Kate but that blog was lost to the ether on my itouch.

But the short version is that in 2007 at Moonlight and Magnolias I was having lunch with Madeline Hunter (dream of a live time) and she invited Kate to eat with us (more than I ever hoped for). At lunch I mentioned to Kate I couldn’t get an appointment to pitch to her and she showed up 15 minutes early the next morning to make time for me. That night my friend Martha and I were in the bar and Kate invited us to sit with her, Sue Grimshaw, the national romance buyer for Borders, and a group of other authors. The last time I saw her was February of this year in New York when I had lunch with our editor, our agent and Kate.

The things I learned about in the inter-workings of the business in those three meetings are more valuable than platinum. She might not have ever been my editor but she’s still one of my keys to success. I have never met anyone so outspoken and enthusiastic about romance. And she was my kind of tough broad that never pulled her punches.

She was, in all honesty, one of the greatest women I have ever met and her passing is a huge blow to the industry and to everyone she touched.

I love the picture above of her from last February. I think you can see that larger than life personality in it. In the picture is me, our editor, our agent and Kate.

Thank you Kate for everything.

UPDATED: Sue Grimshaw would like all who knew and loved Kate to join the Borders.com romance website BOOK CHAT on Sunday October 4, to pay tribute to Kate. Borders: True Romance

Floppy Hats and Mr. Romance

Well, I missed my blog day yesterday so I just thought I’d ramble on here for a minute today.

What have I been up to? Nothing much just struggling to get back in the saddle after taking the month of August off from writing and then buying a new toy (Kayak) that cuts into my writing time.

I’ve been hoping that doing some research will get me into it again. I haven’t really learned anything else interesting except that British Victorians HATED the smell of tobacco smoke and would go to great lengths to keep it at bay. Hence the use of smoking jackets and those funny floppy hats.

My other distraction right now is contemplating whether to attend the Romantic Times Convention this year. I’ve always wanted to go and I’ve always said I would once I had a book out but now I’m not so sure. For one it’s expensive. Two neither our agent nor editor will be there. Thee it’s in Ohio which doesn’t really entice me. And lastly the ball theme is vampires and I just not into them right now at all. I’m still thinking about it.

So what about you? Are you having a hard time getting back into the saddle with something or maybe weighing the Pros and Cons of an upcoming trip or big expense?

How to become a Bestseller Writer over Night

by Barbra

The headline might astonish you, but cut me some slack. At the end of this post you will be a true believer, such as I am. I promise.

It is possible! All of you who worked so hard for days, months years, decades even – your efforts were in vain. Here is the true secret to success:

10 drops of “Quack, M.D. Prolific Writer’s Potion” before going to bed and you wake up a Bestseller Writer!
Pay attention to the fine print on the instruction leaflet, though. It is strongly recommended that you sleep on at least a hundred books of the genre you want to become a master in. Do not mix genres. You must have already read the books. You ought to bind your right (or left if you’re a leftie) to your forehead and sleep on your front. Also, you must sleep like a baby – never move and for goodness sake don’t snore – because otherwise it won’t work and you can take it only once!

I didn’t wake up one morning thinking, “Hey, being a writer sounds like fun!” But try as I might, “Quack, M.D. Prolific Writer’s Potion” didn’t help me either. I must have moved while being fast asleep. Or I snored which is more likely.

Okay, enough fooling around. Seriously, 99% of writers-to-be develop out of the conviction “I can do better”.
Well, try!
Writing is not always fun (once you know how to do it right), but it sure is rewarding (once you know how to do it right). Also, writing is hard work and you will not catch your competition napping. Take my word on it.

What are the main problems unpublished writers face nowadays? Provided you have sufficient lexis, a firm command of grammar and a way to forge sentences that are not monotonous or flat in nature, you need feedback. Anybody can give you feedback. I’ve gotten tremendously good feedback from all sorts of people. It boosted my self-confidence like nothing else did!
However, those were people who weren’t really involved in the business and I’m convinced they just said they liked what I wrote because they liked me (well as far as you can like me...) and the free stories I provided them with. Being absolutely certain that I’d be the next ... (insert whichever renowned author’s name you like here) I thought nothing could stop me. I was “gifted” after all, right? *snort*

But once I got real feedback, the critique was rather demoralizing. Some of you who have been in the business long enough pointed out to me my weaknesses and my flaws – and I’m forever grateful. Because they actually made it possible for me to evolve, to rise above myself and to really write.
Friends and family are nice if you’re stuck again in one of those “I’m a miserable writer!” pity parties, but as much as I value them, I know that only the harsh critique of my betters (read “some published authors”) will help me improve.

If I had the means to attend writer’s workshops (online or in person) or reader’s and writer’s conventions, I’d certainly do so if I were absolutely convinced I could learn something new from them. Of course, it’s always nice to meet people who have the same interests! I’m looking forward to doing so myself. But what I think will help tremendously someone who has only just started or is frustrated because they’re getting nowhere with their writing is reading:
Roerden, C. Don’t Sabotage Your Submission. Save your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A. Rock Hill, SC: Bella Rosa Books 2008.

In this time we simply can’t afford to throw our money out of the window. But what really helps you is participating in contests. You get really useful (if not always agreeable) feedback there. I should know, not only because I’ve been at the receiving end.

Also, do your homework. Have a really close look at the market. What is out there? What hasn’t been done yet? Why not?

Try to distinguish between an original idea and a great idea. Refrain from dangerous ideas.

Finding a critique partner is always a good idea. However, be careful in your choice. You might not get what you need out of it.

You can learn from published authors. What did they do that you liked their stories? Or how come you detested a specific story?

Anything I forgot? Let me know your thoughts!

Don't Tell Me I'm Twisted

I read a trade paperback erotica recently that really bothered me.
It's written from a Male POV sorta like a Casanova's diary kind of thing. Basically each character had very non-vanilla appetites as all good erotica characters should. But they each had something dark (sometimes very dark) in their past that had supposedly been responsible for their colorful appetites. So to me she was saying that her characters only enjoyed these kinky fun kinda things because something bad twisted them that way. While here I am a very normal un-twisted reader enjoying reading about these wild things.(It wasn't anything that hard core just some anal, light bondage, spanking, voyeurism, threesomes.) I'm offended at the thought that she thinks only twisted people do those kinds of things and enjoy them and I'm not twisted. Well yes I am but not in that way. Okay yes in that way but just because I'm wired that way not because I was abused or anything.

Thankfully I am secure enough in who I am and my taste to think "Frak you lady!" and not let it change my ways. But I hate it for other readers. I think there are some women out there that do read erotica/erotic romance as a kind of research, or exploration if you will, into sexual ideas they might be interested in and yet to experience. I think a book like this can really do a disservice to that kind of reader and make them feel somehow wrong about their feelings.

I think erotica/erotic romance writers have some responsibility to portray the things we write about in a way that is honest, responsible and allows the reader to explore their feelings about the acts in a comfortable way.

So what do you think? Do you think erotica/erotic romance writers have a responsibility to the readers in this way or not? Have you read other books that do this same kind of thing?

[B's Thursday Protagonists Series will return next week]

As Eloise Would Say …"Here’s What I like"

I like that Jane at Dear Author tried to have a discussion about the problems with Paranormal Romance even if it turned into a book list / pimp yourself fest instead of a real dialogue.

I like that we are both blogging regularly now.

I like that Samantha is keeping us company on the blog. It gets lonely around here.

I like a lot of the things happening in Madeline Hunter’s latest book, The Sins of Lord Easterbrook.

1. She does a paranormal element the right way. She looks at the hero’s ability in terms of how it effects his relationships with his social network, his family and his heroine in the past, present and future. She uses it to enhance the character and the emotional and internal conflict not to fight bad guys.


2. She brilliantly deals with a modern and relevant topic like drug addiction within the historical context.


3. She takes you to China without actually leaving England. Clever Lady.

Speaking of taking romance out of England, I like the things I’ve been reading with non-traditional historical times and setting like Islands by Samantha Kane, a m/m romance set in the Pacific in WWII and At Her Service by Susan Johnson set in Russia and France during the Crimean War.

I really really like that Sunday is Barbra’s Birthday and I hope she has a great day even if my present is going to be late!

I knew it!

Yes I have known for some time now that Madeline Hunter is a Goddess but now it's officail!

Madeline joined The Goddess Blogs .

Noelle

Dear Author - Genre Fatigue Poll

I was very interested to watch the results and comments of 

 Dear Author's Genre Fatigue Poll .

 As I said in the comments:

When I started reading Romance I read only Historical. Then because I was watching Paranormal TV I started to read tons of Paranormal. But now it’s lost all interest for me and I’m back to almost exclusively reading and writing Historicals.

The fact that European Historicals are third on the list at the time of my post is very interesting because, from what I know and hear, non-European Historicals are still a hard sale to most major houses. Thank goodness not all! :)

A List of Things I May Never Know the Answer to

1. How some Authors can be complacent about promotion

2. If S. K. knew the person she chose as the new face of her best loved character, Acheron, is a former adult film star.  

3. Why some people are picky eaters.

4. If Jack and Gwen will ever get together with only a mini series to go. 

What's on your list?

Link: How to Submit your MS

New Submission Guidelines!!

I’m Supposed to Write That?

What do you do when a story calls to you that is so far out of your norm you’re shocked and dismayed?
I don’t really write contemporaries. I don’t write military for sure. I trend to write hot hot paranormal and historical bordering on and spilling over into erotica. So why can’t I let this idea for a military themed contemporary that seems better suited for Harlequin Super Romance go? Not that there is anything at all wrong with Harlequin Super Romance. I so admire and respect those that can write within the harlequin frame work. But it’s just not anything I’ve ever remotely considered.
I heard a story about a marine on NPR that moved me greatly and automatically this kernel of a story appeared. And maybe it was just a defensive mechanism. Maybe I retreated from the harshness of the reality of the radio piece into a story in my own mind that could have a happy ending. I don’t know but that moment has passed and the story is still there. I’ll keep thinking about it and just see what happens…

Noelle

My Author Crush - Madeline Hunter

I guess every author has other authors they look up to and admire and for me that's Madeline Hunter. Not only is she the fabulous author of my favorite historical romances but a straight talking genuine and generous person that’s great at speaking in public and has wonderful insight into this crazy business.

Go buy her books! All her books. Now! Check out her website, www.MadelineHunter.com , for what awesomeness she’s written and the correct reading order.

Noelle

Stoke of Midnight Finalist!

We are pleased to announce that Plantation Rule has finaled in

Passionate Ink's Stoke of Midnight Contest.

Final Judge in the Historical category will be Hilary Sares for Kensington's Aphrodisia imprint.
Keep your quills crossed!

Link- Author Commits Internet Terrorism

I have been following this story at Dear Author much to the neglect of everything else I should be doing and I am still so amazed. Author Harasses Amazon Reader

And This is Why I Don't Like People in General

I hate how people shoot the messenger. I hate how people don’t take the time or aren’t smart enough to get all the facts straight before they smart off and most of all I hate ppl that hate ppl for being outspoken and honest and not being content with keeping quiet and just keeping the peace to be nice. AHHGGG!!!!!!!

Off with your heads and your nicey niceness!!!

Anyway….check out one of my new favorite sites where they are out spoken, brash and make trouble in a good way. Smart Bitches that Love Trashy Books

Noelle (who would rather make the right kind of trouble than play nice)

Dinner with Debbie

I had a chance to have dinner with long time best selling author Debbie Macomber. With her was Katherine, a publicist from Harlequin. Even though what Debbie writes and what we write are very different it was an enjoyable and enlightening experience.
First let me say how nice it is to continue to meet established industry professionals that treat you as an equal and are genuinely interested in your opinions and what you’re doing as a writer. Katherine and Debbie could not have been more charming, open and willing to discuss either our personal writing or today’s market in general. Katherine shared industry insight including confirming the trends toward sports, military, time travel and non-vampire paranormal.
In Debbie’s talk at the book signing it was helpful, as a newer writer, to hear about her struggles getting her first book publish. She was told by an editor her ms couldn’t be improved and she should just throw it away. Then the same house that eventual bought it responded to her query letter saying please don’t send us your work. Persistence is the name of game.
I’m very grateful I was able to have such a wonderful opportunity through my local RWA chapter. I’d like to encourage anyone at any stage in your writing to join both RWA and your local chapter.
Noelle